Gorilla [Greek, Γόριλλαι ]

“Believed to be the name of an alleged African tribe of hairy women. “

- Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary

“A tribe of hairy women, perhaps of African origin.”

- Concise Columbia Encyclopedia

In 1847 Dr. Thomas S. Savage an American Missionary to Western Africa, made the first scientific description of a gorilla. He gave the animal the Latin name Troglodytes gorilla. Dr. Savage was making a reference to the Periplus, an ancient Greek version of a report written in Punic by Hanno the Navigator from Carthage describes a voyage he took to West Africa travel as far as to Sierra Leone sometime in 6th Century BC reporting seeing members of a tribe of hairy women called Gorillai a word he allegedly learned from his interpreters.

"In this gulf was an island, resembling the first, with a lagoon, within which was another island, full of savages. Most of them were women with hairy bodies, whom our interpreters called "gorillas". Although we chased them, we could not catch any males: they all escaped, being good climbers who defended themselves with stones. However, we caught three women, who refused to follow those who carried them off, biting and clawing them. So we killed and flayed them and brought their skins back to Carthage. For we did not sail any further, because our provisions were running short."

- Hanno the Navigator

The question that I am asking the observer (you) is do you see a woman or do you see a gorilla?